Flockhart leads at GOLF national championshipOpening round of two-under par 69 has Hawks star with a two-shot lead; team tied for second in team standings

BARRIE, Ont. (May 30, 2017) - Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks men’s golfer Eric Flockhart was the clubhouse leader after the opening day of the 2017 Canadian University/College Championship as he fired a round of two-under par 69 at Tangle Creek Golf and Country Club.

Flockhard, a native of Mississauga, Ont., had posted the lowest score of the day thanks to three straight birdies to close out the round before play was suspended due to weather at 5:46 p.m.

“I was getting the same kind of breaks on the front nine, but I just couldn’t buy a putt,” said Flockhart. “I got to the back made a good one from about 10 feet on 10, made a few good par saves and then 14 to 18, I made five putts in a row basically, so the putts started to fall.”

“Eric played a solid round today from tee to green,” added Laurier head coach Jeff Colley. “His putter got hot on the back 9 that lead to a five-under par 31. Eric always hits the ball great, so if the putts keep falling like they did today he definitely has a good chance to have a memorable week.”

Flockhart is coming off a very strong Ontario University Athletics (OUA) season in the fall of 2016, including a stretch where he won three straight tournaments—the Waterloo Invitational, the Guelph Invitational, and the University of Toronto Invitational.

However, Flockhart wasn’t the only Laurier golfer playing well as the Hawks head into the second day of competition tied for second place in the team standings after shooting a 14-over par 298. That score leaves them tied with the Western University Mustangs with both teams sitting one stroke back of the leaders, the University of Victoria Vikes.

"Our team played pretty solid today given the windy conditions and the quick undulating greens," said Colley of the team's overall performance. "We will be making a few adjustments to our game plan for tomorrow, in order to have more success on a few tough holes."

Third year golfer Andrew Cox of Kitchener, Ont., was also strong in the opening round to help the purple and gold as he sits in a tie for eighth after shooting a three-over par 74.

The top finisher in the men’s and women’s division will get an exemption into their respective Canadian Amateur Championships and the top finishers in the men’s and women’s draws will qualify for the Summer Universiade Games, in Taipei, Taiwan, from Aug. 19-30.

The first round will resume tomorrow at 7:30 a.m. Second round tee times will begin at 8:30 a.m. For additional information on the championship click here.